Bull recovery boosts Genus shares

AS a stud bull, he is far above the common herd. And yesterday - following something of a slump - Picston Shottle was back on form, to the delight of investors.

The six-year-old Holstein Friesian was blamed earlier this year for a glitch in the fortunes of breeding company Genus plc after his five-times-a-week prowess at producing samples of semen at £50 to £60 a time was reduced to merely twice a week.

With Picston Shottle expected to produce 200,000 samples a year - twice as many as his rivals - it helped cause the Genus share price to fall from £3.31 to £2.95, wiping £ 13m from its £118m value.

But yesterday the share price was £3.37 - and the company valued at £122m - partly because Picston Shottle is back in business.

He apparently took the news lying down on a farm near Ruthin, North Wales, where he has a centrally-heated byre. The cows he has sired worldwide are renowned for long production of high-quality milk.

Genus supplies ten million doses of semen a year to farmers in 70 countries. In America, Picston Shottle is one of six company studs who are in the US top 20. Although bulls called Alton, Garrison, Jammer, Jingles, Cumulus and Concorde are being mentioned as stars of the future, Picston Shottle remains head of the herd.

Genus chief executive Richard Wood said: 'There are not many spaces left for our competitors. Our bulls are Ferraris while others have Fords.

'Picston Shottle was just a bit off-colour earlier this year. It was a little bit unfortunate, but it is the same kind of thing that happens to me and you. He is back in action.'